Nancy Gail,
Stand your ground and grade using the rubric. If this is the worst year
with the crying and moaning, and the mothers supporting the child's whining,
then I am in for a rough future. These kids come to college with the same
attitude, and the same manipulative ploys. Yes, they even recruit their
mothers to call the dean and have a meeting about their "child's" (18 to 25
year old) failing grade.

It is nearing the end of the semester, and the whine-o-meter is blowing off
the scale. Suddenly they realize that they are failing and want to know
what do to. They sneer at having to do extra credit to earn the points to
bring their grade up, and it is more work for me, so I eliminated that
option only last year. I have decided, after 27 years of teaching, that it
is time the student "earned" a grade. Thanks to everyone on the list, the
rubrics have cut down the arguments and manipulations to a slight scowl at
the sight of a returned project.
This year's freshmen are the biggest bunch of babies I have ever seen and
their mommies are even worse.